Update on my following-up of the complaint to the BBC. Once again, it's the copy-and-paste standard letter with zero attempt to answer any of my concerns, and a doubling down on 'the court and GMP called this person as a woman, so they're a woman' (note that they didn't even put my name on the letter)
Reference CAS-7710968-D7C8D9
Hello,
Thank you for getting in touch again about our coverage of the sentencing of Naomi O'Brien, jailed in connection with sexual offences involving a four-year-old boy and described by Greater Manchester Police as ‘a predatory woman’.
We are sorry to learn you were not satisfied with our first response. As we explained previously, our reporting was based on evidence heard in court and a press release issued by Greater Manchester Police in which they described Naomi O’Brien as a woman.
We appreciate that readers found the offences upsetting and questioned why we did not describe her as transgender or male. We checked this point again with the police and the court. The police told us that the defendant was referred to solely as a woman when she was arrested, charged and appeared in court. Court staff also confirmed that she was only referred to in court documents as a woman. We therefore reported accurately.
We are sorry if you did not appreciate the way we covered this particular case but would like to thank you again for contacting us to make your views known. All feedback from readers is appreciated and shared with senior editors so that they are aware of audience concerns.
This concludes Stage 1 of our complaints process. That means we can’t correspond with you further here. If you remain unhappy, you can now contact the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU). The ECU is Stage 2 of the BBC’s complaints process. You’ll need to explain why you think there’s a potential breach of standards, or if the issue is significant and should still be investigated. Please do so within 20 working days of this reply.
Full details of how we handle complaints are available at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/handle-complaint/.
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Kind regards
BBC Complaints Team
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
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